Electronic equipment used for communications is often structured in a rack mountable shelf format. A shelf typically includes multiple cards, or circuit packs that are interconnected through a backplane. Each card provides a service or function, such as an optical service, an Ethernet service, or a cross connect function. Each shelf can be distinguished from other shelves according to various shelf information, or backplane information, including, for example, product configuration, serial number and date of manufacture. Moreover, each shelf can have a set of unique identifiers such as Ethernet MAC addresses and a shelf serial number.
The task of identifying a shelf embedded in a communications network can be prohibitive due to the number of shelves deployed in the network. Because the backplane information is not known or recorded separately, a technician has to inspect the shelf directly to determine the specific shelf information. Memory devices can be used with the backplane to keep the identifier information. The memory devices are generally soldered or otherwise permanently connected to the backplane. Thus, if a memory device fails, repair of the memory device requires significant work and associated cost to retrieve the backplane and affect replacement of the device.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an identification module to permit retrieval of shelf specific information from shelves deployed in the field. The identification module should be field-replaceable to eliminate the effort and associated cost otherwise incurred when the shelf is removed from the field to replace a failed module. The present invention satisfies this need and provides additional advantages.